Endless conveyer or elevator



No. 627,409. Patented June 20, I899. G. C. GETCHELL.

ENDLESS CDNVEYEB 0R ELEVATOR.

(Application filed Jan. 14, 1599.

(No Model.)

UNITED STATES 1 ATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE C. GETOHELL, OF CAMBRIA, IVYOMING.

ENDLESS CONVE Y ER OR ELEVATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 627,409, dated June 20,1899.

Application filed January 14, 1899. Serial No. 702,162. (No model.)

T0 a/ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE C. GETOHELL, a citizen of the United States,residing at'Cambria, in the county of Weston and State ofWyoming,haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in EndlessConveyers or Elevators; and I do hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame.

This invention relates to improvements in endless conveyers or elevatorsof that class which employ a'series of buckets connected at regularintervals to chains or equivalent carriers and adapted when arriving atthe delivery-point to discharge the material contained therein into abinor other suitable receptacle or onto a chute leading thereto. In theoperation of these elevators there is a constant waste of the materialbeing hoisted, as a part of the load of each bucket drops down onto thepreceding bucket directly beneath it and either falls back to theloadingpoint and must be again hoisted or is scattered and wasted, andthis is due to the fact that the bucket necessarily begins to dischargebefore it reaches the nearest point in its path of travel to the chuteand" that it is impossible to arrange the chute close enough to receiveall of the material discharged without interfering with the properaction of the elevator.

The object of the invention is to provide a simple and effective meansfor preventing this waste of material and insuring the positive deliveryof the entire contents of each bucket to the chute.

To this end the invention consists of an elevator such as illustrated inthe drawings and embodyingthose features of construction and arrangementof parts which I shall now proceed to describe in detail and then pointout in the claims hereto annexed.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, and to the lettersmarked thereon, forming a part of this specification, the same lettersdesignating the same parts or features, as the case may be, whereverthey occur.

In the said drawings, Figure l is a perspective View of 'a portion of anendless elevator embodying my invention, showing the arrangement of theparts at the delivery end thereof. Fig. 2 is avertical longitudinalsection through the elevator and a bin and shows one of the buckets ofthe elevator arranged to discharge its load upon the bin-chute. Fig. 3is a similar view showing the shaft and invention on an enlarged scale.Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view thereof, and-Fig. 5 is a detailperspective view of one of the deflecting-plates.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, A represents thesupporting-shaft, mounted to turn in suitable bearings at the upper. ordelivery end of the elevator; B and B, the sprocket-wheels, rigidlysecured to the shaft to turn therewith and spaced apart a suitabledistance to allow the buckets to move between them in the usual manner;C and O, thecarrier-chains passing over said wheels; D, D, and D thebuckets, rigidly secured at regular intervals to the chains; E, a bin orreceptacle of any desiredcharacter arranged on the descending side ofthe elevator, and E a chute adapted to receive the material as it isdischarged from the buckets and conduct it to said bin.

In the operation of elevators of this character the filled buckets D onthe ascending stretches of the chains are arranged vertically with theirmonths or open ends upwardly and retain this position until they aregradually inverted by the passage of the portions of the chains to whichthey are attached over and around the sprocket wheels B and B. Eachbucket as it arrives at the point where the bucket D is locatedassumesan inclined position with its mouth facing outwardly and downwardly andbegins to discharge its contents, and when it reaches the positionoccupied by the uppermost of the buckets D on the descending stretchesof the chains becomes fully inverted and travels downward to be againfilled. In elevators of ordinary construction in common use a portion ofthe load discharged by the bucket D instead of being delivered to thechute drops down onto the uppermost inverted bucket D preceding thedischarging bucket, and either falls back to the loading-point, fromwhich it must be again hoisted, or is scattered and wasted. This is adefect inherent to elevators of this character, as the bucketsnecessarily discharge before arriving at the nearest point in their pathof travel to the chute, and the latter cannot be placed near enough toreceive the entire load without rendering the elevator inoperative. Myinvention has been devised for the purpose of overcoming this objectionand insuring the positive delivery of the entire contents of each bucketto the chute and bin.

In carrying out my invention I employ a rotary deflector consisting ofone or more deflecting-plates F, carried by the shaft A, the number ofplates used being determined by the number of buckets which are arrangedin proximity to and pass around the sprocketwheels at each revolution ofthe shaft. In the present instance I have shown four such platesarranged at right angles, or substantially so, to each other and mountedupon the shaft in the following manner: Arranged near each end of theshaft and on the inner side of each sprocket-wheel is a rectangularsupporting-frame composed of a pair of plates G, placed at right anglesto the shaft and on opposite sides thereof and having their meetingedges notched or recessed to receive the same and flanged for thepassage of bolts h, which hold them firmly connected to each other andclamped to the shaft. The sides of these supporting-frames are of equallength and are flanged, as shown, for the reception of bolts 1;, whichsecure the inner portions of the plates thereto. The plates are madeapproximately of the same width as the buckets and longer than the sidesof the frames to provide projecting portions F, which are provided withside fiangesj for a purpose hereinafter described. By this constructionand arrangement of parts it will be seen that as each filled bucket Dapproaches the delivery end of the elevator on the ascending side theprojecting portion F of a plate which has position below the shaft willbe caused by the turning of the shaft to move outwardly and upwardly inadvance thereof in the space between the ascending stretches of thechains 0 and O and between said bucket and the preceding bucket. Thisplate will retain its position above and in advance of the bucket untilthe latter reaches the discharge position assumed by the bucket D, whenit will be arranged at an inclination directly below the same and bridgeacross and close the space between the mouth of said bucket D and thebottom of the preceding bucket namely, the uppermost inverted bucket Don the descending side of the carrier. The load discharged by the bucketD will thus fall directly upon the inclined deflecting-plate and willclear the bucket D and flow by gravity off the outer edge of the plate,directly into the bin or upon the chute leading thereto, the flangesj ofthe plate serving to conduct the load to the outer end of the plate andprevent the material from falling off at the sides thereof. By thismeans that part of the load which usually falls down to theloading-point in rear of the bucket D or is scattered and wasted byfalling on said bucket is saved and the entire load conducted to thebin. After the bucket D has discharged its load the deflecting-plategradually begins to move inward or toward the ascending side, and whenthe bucket is fully inverted and assumes the position of the bucket Dthe plate is withdrawn from between the stretches of the carrier-chainson the descending side and is caused by the turning of the shaft to moveacross to the ascending side to again take position in advance ofanother filled bucket and perform the operation above set forth. Thisoperation is continuous, and in the construction shown ,wherein fourbuckets are arranged in close proximity to and pass around the sprocketwheels at each revolution of the shaft, it will be seen that two platesare constan tlyarranged in advance of the filled buckets D approachingthe discharge-point. A

third plate is arranged below the discharging bucket D to receive theload therefrom, while the fourth plate having performed that functionfor the preceding inverted bucket D is retracted and being moved acrossto the asscending side of the elevator to take the place of the plateimmediately preceding it and project in advance of the succeeding filledbucket.

It will of course be understood that changes in the form, proportion,and minor details of construction may be made within the scope of theinvention without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of theadvantages thereof.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is In anendless elevator of the character described, the combination, with thesupport ing-shaft at the delivery end thereof,sprocketwheels mounted onsaid shaft, carrier-chains passing over the sprocket-wheels, and bucketscarried by the chains, of a rotary deflector comprisingsupporting-frames rigidly mounted on the shaft between thesprocket-wheels and each composed of a pair of plates arranged at rightangles to the shaft and on opposite sides thereof and having theirmeeting edges recessed to receive said shaft and flanged for the passageof fastening devices which hold them firmly connected to each other andclamped to the shaft, and. deflecting-plates secured to the outer sidesof said frames and projecting beyond the same so as to successively movein advance of the filled buckets and receive the load therefrom at thedischarge-point.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE C. GETCHELL.

\Vitnesses:

W. SCHOONMAKER, CHAS. V. WESTOVER.

